At a regular sitting, held on June 27 2012, the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds (CEAOEF) discussed and unanimously adopted a Report with a supporting statement on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy, COM(2011) 876. The proposal for a Directive is part of the Annual Work Program of the National Assembly on EU Issues for 2011. According to the expressed position, the Bulgarian parliament welcomes the proposal for a Directive which aims to promote a good surface water chemical status by establishing quality standards for the environment for priority substances and other polluters.

CEAOEF Report reflects the conclusions of the sectoral Environment and Water Committee as well as the reservations, expressed by the Government in its framework position. The Bulgarian parliament’s considerations regard the extending of the list of priority substances, as well as the introduction of too restrictive standards and new requirements for monitoring and analysis on some substances, both causing additional administrative and financial burden for the member states. The Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Ms. Ivelina Vassileva assured the MPs that Bulgaria will continue to state its specific comments and recommendations on the text of the proposal for a directive during the negotiation process.

The CEAOEF Statement is available at:
http://parliament.bg/pub/cW/20120702012147Statement_COM%202011%20876_en.pdf